Prefabricated panel and warming means therefor



Sept. 5, 1950 M. c. RICHARDSON PREFABRICATED PANEL AND WARNING MEANS THEREFOR- Filed sept. 1'?, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y #VMS/VTER MAX C mcHARDSoN /4 7- TDR/ve Patented Sept. 5, 1950 Avolrfrlcla fPRfEFABRICAfTED PANEL ND WARMING MEANS .THEREFOR zMax C. Richardson, PortlandgOreg.

-f Applicationrseptember 17, 1946,-SerialNo. `697,410 Y (Cl. B19-19) 3 Claims.

This Y.invention relates .generally to .building constructions andrpar-ticularly .to .a vboard for use insuch `constructions.

".Ihe main .objectof this `,invention is .to provide asimple and Yeiiicient :form yof, panelwhereby heatmay be. easily andfsafely delivered `.to Aa .space through the .110013. walls `,orceiling thereof, .or f.by employingsame as .awscreenor additional oor covering. I

The second object is to produce a board which will .operate .ata .temperature so lowthat .itmay be operated-.continuously without .any danger of charringfor. disintegrating-.the .Wooden base upon which itis formed.

The third .object isto so .construct .the hoard that .its .dimensions Will adapt it to -use in .ordinary .building Iconstructonsfby keeping these dimensions .in .multiple .of -standard studding and joistspacings.

`'I?he...iourth.objectis -to .construct .a .board .of woodn a manner to ylill .allot the voids therein to prevent :ani undesirable accumulation .of heat ,at anyspecific point.

The fifth object is .to.so construct-the Aboard thatit maybeleasily assembled Withother units by means of .a .special connectoi` which I have provided.

The sixth Objectis to so .construct the unit .that current.may Ibe suppliedthereto through either sidef the boa-rd by merely removing a cover plate therefrom.

The seventh object is .tosoconstructthe board and arrange .the warming .elementsl therein that theentiresurfaceof `.theboard may be uniformly warmed .atany one olthree predetermined. rates. i

Fig. l is. alplanof .a representative form ofthe board.

Fig'. .2 is .a Ifragmentary perspective view of one cor-ner of the .board showing aio'rmofterminal in which threeconnectne pins vproject into a recess; the upper and lowersides of whichare metal plates.

Fig. 3 is a'fragmentary perspective 'View show ing a form of 'ller plug toll and insulate the terminal .recess when noconnection is .made 'to thisside vof the board.

Fig. llis .a perspective View 'of the connecting plugused withthe construction shown Yin Fig. 2.

Eig. 5 ,is .a .sectional View showingthe corner portions of vtwo .panels or boards vConnex/ted ,by means "of thebloclr' shown 'in Fig. 4.'

panels mounted'on the under side of joists.

- 8 is `a perspective'viewof 'one or morepaiiels and the method'of connecting them for'portble or temporary use.

*Similar numbersof referencefrefer t'o` thefsamer` or similar parts throughout" theseveral"views.

Referring in detail to the-drawing,Ttherefis Shown by Wayfof example 'a' rectangular board I0; /vvhich `in this casel consists of lnumberfdf are lirinlyfbonded Vtogether by'meanshf a waterproof glue after the necessary wafrming` elements have 'beeninstalled fBetween'the plies'fl 2 'aid'l 1are" disposed the-resistance lelements I5 "and l IIS which are 'connected tothe' le'afd 'wires-` I 'I', v"Iii, 'fand fI9, as `fillustrat`edin order: that' they may benperated independently, in 'series or 'inmultiple Thevlead'wires I:'I;f`fI g'fand i9 lextend across sone end o'f'th'e board andf-terminate'at the connecting minal lpi-ns are. iirmly :spaced and' -.supported?.by thefl-.ber blocks-A24. .'Ifhefipreeisemannerefe-connectingv the "resista-nce felements I 5 and 'IB-@tothe ...lead'wires :|15 48;: and 4:9` isso -vvellf under-steed `vthat itvneed notbefelaberated uponfrhere` It is .imperative that' when theelemen-ts I 5 land I5 .are putinto.placebetween plies I2 and-:I3 .that I they ehe ...hermetically sealed-between. .the-plies .of wood.and..that .all voids .be eliminatedsince'if I 'followsthat unless..the-heat .can Joe conducted away.. from the elements it .could .accumulate Land the temperature arise to an objectionable degree. .The .resistance vor .heating element comprises two .separate .resistancey wires I5 and I6.y one'of approximately 53 feetofs25 B. & S. gage Nichrome and. .the Yother of approximately. 53 feel-...of B.v 85S. .gage Nichrome wire. The resistance Wires are .placed insucha way between the two plywood .panels .as-.to .be each .approximately uniformly distributed over the panel and each approximately uniformlyspaced from lthe other. '."LOne end .of each wire is .attached to lead wire v'Ill the other end `'of oneof the .resistance wireszis .attached to lead Wire: I'I, .whilethe .otherendof theV other resistance wire is attached toflead watts. When the 25 gage wire is energized, the heat released by this Wire is approximately 125 watts or when both wires are energized the heat released is approximately 375 watts. Since the panel is four feet square, this gives an approximate heat release of 27, 54, or 81 British thermal units per square foot. which not only covers the entire range of heat release found desirable in the many uses vofpanel heating of space, but also keeps the panel temperature low to eliminate all re hazards.

It is within the concept of my invention to produce these boards as units which may be used separately or in any desired combination to supply heat at some particular place on the iioor, wall, or ceiling, or over an extended area if desired. It is also within the concept of my invention that these boards may be used as temporary floor panels or wall screens or that they may be permanently installed as panel heating units of the floor. wall, or ceiling structure.

For example, these boards have been found to have great utility in overcoming objectionable cold floor conditions in an office where one or more boards may be placed as a temporary floor underan oiiice desk and chair. The same great utility has been found in the home where, for instance, one of more boards are laid as a temporary door under a chair used by an older person or an invalid. When thus used as a temporary. floor panel, the board may be energized .and controlled with a portable electric cord as -shown in Fig. 8 where 50 is an. ordinary Z-prong electric cord attachment plug, l is a length. of ordinary 2wire electric appliance cord. -52 is a usual type of in-the-cord B-heat switch, 53 is a length of 3-wire electricv appliance cord, and 54 is a specially made S-point plug for insertion into one terminal recess of board Il] and connecting the 3 wires of cord. 53 to the terminal pins 20 of lead wires I1, I8, I9 of board I0. It is desirable to arrange plug 54 so that it will only be inserted into the terminal recess of board IU in such a way as to give validity to theheat' markings on switch 52.

When a single board unit is tobe used, the terminal recess not used for energizing the board will be lled and insulated by the insulating plug 22 shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 8.` When more than one board is to be used to make up a heating panel. they may be grouped for one attachment to the source of power by electrically connecting adjacent boards with the through plug 62 as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 7 and 8. In this case insulating plug 22 is used to ll the unused terminal recess of the final board attached to the panel as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is a perspective drawing showing how my uboards may be permanently installed as a ceiling panel for panel-heating a room from thereiling.rv Referring to Fig. 1, l0 illustrates my board I0 as it is constructed in a four foot by .four foot size. attached to a building frame with stud and joistspacing of either sixteen inches or twentyfour inches center to center spacing. In Fig. 1, 1|, '12, and 13 are shown either as pre-drilled nailing or screw holes, or they can be factory markings on the board for drilling or nailing in the eld. In Fig. 7 the ceiling joists are represented` as of twenty four in. center to center In this size, it can be readily p spacing, and in this case the board would be attached to the ceiling joists at positions 1| and.'l2 of Fig. l. If the ceiling joists were spaced 4 sixteen inches center to center, attaching positions ll and 13 would be used.

When a permanent installation is made as in Fig. '7, no flexible attachment cord may be used and I have therefore provided a special conduit box cover plate 21 to take the place of one of the cover plates 25. Also for this use, as shown in Fig. 6, I have provided a system of insulating barriers to slide over lterminal pins 2D and have provided each of the pns20 with a single connection 3| for attaching to the electric service wires.

Referring again to Fig. 7, it is seen that when my board is permanently installed, the electrical connection is concealed at the back of the board and that the room side of the board is smooth and may be finished in any way desired to match the room decorative scheme. For most eilicient use of heat in the room, the space between the joists on the back side of the panel may be lled to any desired depth with any of the usual forms of heat insulating materials.`

I am aware that panel heat of itself is not new and that numerous other devices such as heat pads and other contrivances have been constructed in the past. It is, therefore, not my intention to cover such devices broadly, but I do intend to cover such forms and modiications thereof as fall fairly within claims.

I claim:

l. A pre-fabricated plyboard comprising a pair of plies of substantially rigid electrically insulating material secured togetherby a layer of electrically insulating adhesive material and having a wire resistance element embedded in said layer, said wire being of relatively small cross sectional area and of relatively great length and being extensively laid over the inner surfaces of said plies in a pre-determined pattern whereby when said wire is electrically energized it will heat said plyboard substantially uniformly n over its area and whereby said wire will be substantially spaced from pre-determined points of perforation of said plyboard, said plyboard1 being marked on one face with indicia corresponding to a pre-determined standard of building framing whereby at said indicated points on said face it `will be safe to perforate said plyl board to secure said plyboard to the supporting structure of a building, one of said indicia being within the surface area of said plyboard covered by said resistance element.

2. A plyboard adapted for radiant heating comprising a pair of electrically insulating plies of substantially rigid electrically insulating material secured together by a layer of electrically insulating adhesive material and marked on one l surface with positions where said plyboard may be perforated for securing said plyboard to a building structure of pre-determined form, in

combination' with a bare wire resistance element of small cross sectional area and relatively great length embedded in said layer and extensively laid whereby when said element is electrically energized said wire will supply heat substantially.

uniformly over the surface of said plyboard but will be safely spaced from said positions of perforation.

3. A prefabricated electric heating board comprising upper and lower plies, a layer of electrically insulating adhesive material, an electric resistance wire, and a pair of relatively low resistance conductors, one end of said wire being connected to one of said conductors and the other end of said wire being connected to the other of said conductors, said wire and said conductors being embedded in said material between said plies, one end of each of said conductors extending from between said plies near one edge of said board and the other end of each of said conductors extending from between said plies near another edge of said board, whereby when multiples of said boards are abutted edge to edge to form a heating panel the ends of said conductors extending from between the plies of adjacent edges of said boards are juxtaposed for ready series connection of the conductors of adjacent boards thereby to connect said wires of said adjacent boards in multiple.

MAX C. RICHARDSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 395,950 Capek Jan. 8, 1889 574,745 Meek Jan. 5, 1897 761,204 Carpenter May 31, 1904 1,368,412 Rohne Feb. 15, 1921 1,476,116 Thompson Dee. 4, 1923 1,703,640 Schmidt-Predari Feb. 26, 1929 2,328,666 Musgrave Sept. '7, 1943 2,393,100 Gallay et a1. Jan. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 224,648 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1924 225,627 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1924 4 427,255 Great Britain Apr. 8, 1935 447,453 Great Britain May 19, 1936 

